be remedied.
At his suggestion then, the signal of the guns was mentioned by the
captain, in his letter to the commander-in-chief, and its importance
pointed out. When Clinch reached the fleet, Nelson was at Castel a Mare,
and it became necessary to follow him to that place by land. Here Clinch
found him in the palace of Qui-Si-Sane, in attendance on the court, and
delivered his despatches. Nothing gave the British admiral greater
pleasure than to be able to show mercy, the instance to the contrary
already introduced existing as an exception in his private character and
his public career; and it is possible that an occurrence so recent, and
so opposed to his habits, may have induced him the more willingly now to
submit to his ordinary impulses, and to grant the respite asked with the
greater promptitude.

"Your captain tells me here, sir," observed Nelson, after he had read
Cuffe's letter a second time, "little doubt exists that Yvard was in the
Bay on a love affair, and that his purposes were not those of a spy,
after all?"

"Such is the, opinion aboard us, my lord," answered the master's-mate.
"There are an old man and a very charming young woman in his company,
who Captain Cuffe says were in the cabin of this ship, on a visit to
your lordship, only a few days since."

Nelson started, and his face flushed. Then he seized a pen, and, with
the only hand he had, scratched a letter, directing a reprieve until
further orders. This he signed and handed to Clinch, saying, as he
did so:

"Get into your boat, sir, and pull back to the frigate as fast as
possible; God forbid that any man suffer wrongfully!"

"I beg your pardon, my lord--but there is not time, now, for me to reach
the ship before the sun set. I have a signal prepared in the boat, it is
true; but the frigate may not come round Campanella before the last
moment, and then all these pains will be lost. Does not Captain Cuffe
speak of some guns to be fired from the flag-ship, my lord?"

"He does, sir; and this may be the safest mode of communicating, after
all. With this light westerly air, a gun will be heard a long distance
at sea. Take the pen, and write as I dictate, sir."

Clinch seized the pen, which the admiral, who had lost his right arm
only a few years before, really felt unable to use, and wrote
as follows:

"Sir--Immediately on the receipt of this, you will fire three heavy
guns, at intervals of half a minute, as a signal to the Proserpine to